POKEMON Go fans can enjoy the smash-hit augmented reality game in a whole new way - but only when they reach level five.

Millions of people all over the world are heading outside with their smartphones to capture critters in smash-hit augmented reality game Pokemon Go.

But what you might not realise is that once you've caught enough Pokemon and reached a certain level, there's a whole new way to enjoy the game.

On top of levelling up and evolving your Pokemon, you can also stop by gyms, send your Pokemon into battle and capture these landmarks for your team.

If you're new to Pokemon Go - or have simply been too busy catching them all to head into battle - here's how gyms work, what level you need to be to enter them and how to win battles when you do finally get there.

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Pokemon Go gyms are pretty easy to spot, appearing as huge towers on the map, often with Pokemon rotating on top.

Pokemon Go gyms are rarer than the PokeStops that give you random items, but you should never be too far away from one, especially if you're near plenty of landmarks.

Unfortunately, however, you need to have reached level five before you can enter a gym, so you'll need to capture more Pokemon if you're being refused entry.

Once you're level five or above, just approach a gym and tap the icon to enter it and pick a team.

NINTENDO

Pokemon Go gym battles guide

Red, blue and yellow: Pokemon teams explained:

Before you actually get into the nuts and bolts of battling, you'll have to decide which team to join.

Pokemon Go players can join either 'Valor', 'Mystic' or 'Instinct', otherwise known as red, blue and yellow.

Each team has its own leader and individual philosophy, but there's little evidence to suggest your choice makes a difference to the way you play.

But just in case you were wondering, Valour's (red) leader Candela wants to become the strongest trainer, Mystic's (blue) leader Blanche is interested in Pokemon evolution, while Instinct (yellow) leader Spark believes that Pokemon are creatures with excellent intuition.

Once you join red, blue or yellow, you can battle on behalf of your team for control of Pokemon gyms.

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This is where things start to get interesting. When you enter a Pokemon Go gym it will likely already be held by one of the three teams - unless it's silver, in which case you can walk right in and claim it for your team..

If the gym is held by an opposing team, then you can try to wrestle control away by sending Pokemon into battle.

The first thing to check is the gym's prestige level. The higher the prestige level, the more Pokemon it has defending it and the more battles you and other teammates will have to win to knock its level down to zero and claim the gym as your own.

It's also worth checking the combat power (CP) of the opposing team's Pokemon, and selecting a team of six creatures with a similar or higher level.

Another tip to make battles easier is to see which Pokemon you're up against. Water Pokemon can do more damage to fire Pokemon, which would give you a better chance of victory, even if your Pokemon has a lower CP.

Once you enter battle, you can quickly tap the screen to perform attacks, swipe the screen to dodge and hold your finger down to perform a special attack when you've charged your Special Attack meter. The best strategy seems to be to tap as quickly and as often as possible, so be sure to get stuck in quickly.

Winning gym battles knocks the opposition's prestige level down. This might take multiple attempts, but once it reaches zero, the gym is yours.

Pokemon Go gyms: What to do when you own a gym:

Once your team controls a gym, you can strengthen its defences and earn rewards by participating in practice battles and leaving Pokemon behind to battle.

Adding a Pokemon to the gym adds 2,000 prestige points to its total, meaning rivals would have to win more battles to claim the gym for the team.

Participating in practice battles also adds prestige to your gym, so the more you train, the more likely you are to keep hold of gyms for your team.

Not only does leaving Pokemon in gyms boost its level, but it also gives players a chance to earn timed rewards, including PokeCoins and Stardust.

PokeCoins can be used to buy new and better items, while Stardust can be used to power up your Pokemon.

And remember, the more powerful your Pokemon, the better chance you have of winning battles, capturing gyms and getting even more rewards - so keep battling!